Nothing Stands before Desire

Pushing open the closed door. A true story.

Only an hour and a half remained until candle lighting Friday afternoon in Jerusalem. The cashiers were finishing up with the last remaining customers, the workers were putting away their mops, the managers were locking up their offices. The week was over, the Shabbos queen was on her way and it was time to go home and get ready to welcome her.

But the small bald man with the quick smile thought otherwise. He ran up to the door out of breath, thanking God that the store was still open. He tried to walk in, but the guard with the metal-detecting baton stopped him.

"Sagur– closed."

"Please," the man replied in rapid-fire Hebrew. "I just need to get a few things for Shabbat."

"No. "

"It will take me two minutes and no more."

"It might as well take you an hour. You're not coming in. Sagur!"

"Please sir. I have a family. What will we do for Shabbat?!"

"We all have families," the guard said, starting to get heated. "And we have to all get home for Shabbos. If we let in everyone –"

The clever man spotted an opportunity and wasted no time taking it. He turned himself sideways and slipped right on through the door jamb. The guard spun around and lunged to catch him, but the man was too quick; he was inside the store.

He ran to the challahs first, smiling and smoothing ruffled feelings over his shoulder. "It will only take me a few seconds. It's so kind of you to let me in."

He picked out a few challahs, threw them into a plastic bag, and ran to the fish. "I'm almost finished already. Thank God I have such a big family."

He ran to the vegetables, picked out a bag of salad, some tomatoes, a few cukes, a handful of onions. "Just a few more things. This makes me feel proud to be a Jew."

He ran to the canned goods -- grabbed some olives and pickles. "The kids love these. A blessing on your heads."

He ran to the desserts -- grabbed a big round cake and a package of candy. "For the honor of shabbos." He said piously and ran over to one of the cashiers sitting at her checkout counter.

A middle-aged stoic, Russian immigrant, she would not take monkey business from anyone. When the man threw everything onto the conveyor belt, she simply leaned back in her chair, folded her arms over her belly, and said solidly in her thick Russian accent, "Sagur – closed."

"Please miss. It will just take you one minute to ring me up."

She sat there, her arms folded, stoic and unyielding. "Sagur."

"For the honor of the holy Shabbat."

"Sagur."

"For the sake of my wife and seven children."

"Sagur."

"For the sake of the Holy One Blessed be He!"

"Sagur."

"Have mercy on me and my descendants!"

"Sagur."

It was clear to everyone -- the managers, the guard, the other cashier, the workers and even to the man himself -- that it was all over. She wasn't going to budge. The man's shoulders slumped forward. He cast his eyes to the ground. If he couldn't pay for the food, he couldn't have the food. It was as simple as that. Chutzpadik he was; a thief he wasn't.

Then suddenly his face lit up.

He pulled a big white plastic bag off the dispenser and threw everything in. Ready for his quick getaway, he opened his wallet, pulled out enough bills to more than cover his purchases, slapped them onto the counter with a "Thank you very much" and ran out of the store as fast as he could. Everyone was too shocked to do anything other than stand there, but that wasn't the end of the story. Half a minute later, his little bald head and hand appeared from one side of the door jamb.

"Shabbat Shalom!" he said to everyone, smiling, and then disappeared.

Our sages teach, "Nothing stands before a person's desire."

When the door to achievement is somewhat ajar, if our desire to accomplish is great enough, the Almighty will help us get it done.

If that man had come to the store only five minutes earlier, there would be no story. The guard would have let him in, he would have done his shopping and he would have gone home.

If the man had arrived at the store only five minutes later, there would be no story. The store would have been locked shut and the man would have gone home empty-handed.

It was only when that door was somewhat ajar -- when it was hard for him to accomplish what he wanted, but not impossible -- that his desire gave him the nerve, the cleverness, the zeal and the strength to overcome the significant obstacles in his path (even though what he did in this case was ultimately wrong).

"Nothing stands before desire" is a realistic formula for accomplishment. It says that when the door to achievement is somewhat ajar, if our desire to accomplish is great enough, the Almighty will help us get it done. We may have to push a bit beyond our boundaries and venture out into uncharted territory. But when we know what we want, and we know that it is the right thing for us -- then nothing can stand in our way.

About the Author

The opinions expressed in the comment section are the personal views of the commenters. Comments are moderated, so please keep it civil.

Visitor Comments: 19

(19)
DONALD,
April 11, 2008 6:26 AM

perfect (brave) jewish style

(18)
Sheeba Josef,
April 10, 2008 12:47 AM

This article is a mind opener for me. Made me think its true Nothing stands before a person's desire."Thank you for the article and thank you for Aish, and Judaism. (for shabbath) god bless Israel

(17)
Zissi,
April 9, 2008 8:27 PM

Customers like this

This is not a good example of desire. If he so wanted to honor Shabos, why didn't he go earlier? Why didn't he send one of his kids? Customers like this keep my husband from coming home at a reasonable hour-he's a pharmacist and he's seen customers coming in ONE minute to closing. As a result, he ends up staying later than he intends to and coming back later as well. Pure chutzpah.

(16)
Kwame Sarks,
April 9, 2008 11:45 AM

Where there is a will there is always a way. The Almighty God provides a way out for His children in times of need when they make the effort. God reads the motive behind the actions and judges rightly. Great Article.

(15)
Anonymous,
April 8, 2008 3:19 PM

great article--wrong comments

The author is making a terrific point--with the proper motivation and focus, we can achieve what is seemingly impossible. The comments from the visitors are focused on the wrong things!Focus on the possible, not the obstacles!

(14)
Anonymous,
April 8, 2008 3:26 AM

Author took the positive from the negative

I think that all of the people who commented are right-on about the fact the people in the story did the wrong thing and I think it's good they brought the points out (like the author himself did), but I think they're also making a mistake. The author saw a bad thing and he took a positive lesson from it. People do things they aren't supposed to do all the time. That doesn't mean the Torah is bad. It just means people are people. I think it's great that the author found something good in it and brought it out. Maybe that's another lesson here too.

(13)
anonymous,
April 7, 2008 11:09 PM

The author has a wonderful writing style. I hope that he'll be able to use his kochos to relate stories that convey more positive midos.

(12)
Beverly Kurtin,
April 7, 2008 10:28 PM

whooie!

Yes, the little bald man was a noodnik. Yes, he should have gotten there earlier.But what was it that kept him from doing so? Did someone one keep him from leaving his job? Was there something keeping the rude Russian at her station?

If that is what it is like to live in Israel, I want no part of it. Most of the remarks were self-centered, I saw nothing of love or understanding, just a rush to judgment without knowing the facts behind what kept our little bald brother from getting to the market in a more timely manner.

From fellow Jews I don't expect this. Is this what it is like to live in Israel? Maybe I expect more.

Mr. Goldfarb, did the employees give an ounce's worth of care if they got home in time for Shabbat? It sounds to me that they were more intent on saying "closed" than they were in getting home.

However, nothing does stand before desire is a truth worth knowing and understanding. In this case, the man's desire to not disappoint his family impelled him to do something that he probably would never have done had Shabbat not been so important to him. His desire to not fail his family overrode what he probably would have never done under normal circumstances.

Have a heart; know why someone does something before judging him. Which one of us can look forward to our own day of judgment without trepidation? Judge the man with the same kindness you would want someone to judge you.

(11)
Bill,
April 7, 2008 12:43 PM

Not necessarily right message

I understand and appreciate the concept - that nothing stands before a person's will. I also understand that "maybe" the people in the store should have been more helpful. But in the end, this person "forced" himself into a closed store - where people were preparing to go home and make their own Shabbos. Did he do the right thing? Perhaps he created a chillul HaShem in the process. Something to consider.

(10)
Anonymous,
April 7, 2008 12:38 PM

not sure I like this message

As I read this article I felt increasingly disturbed. I almost felt that the message was that one should do whatever one must even at someone else's expense. Perhaps the sales person and/or guard had a spouse at home who was trying to juggle last minute preparations with a houseful of kids? Perhaps they had gone through this type of customer every single Friday and just had to put an end to it?!

The message in this article could have been taught through a different story, I'm sure. My parents owned a bakery for over 30 years. I can't tell you how many times both my parents barely made it home in time for Shabbos, not to mention without Challah! Why? Because of the "one" customer running in as the store was trying yet again to close for Shabbos, asking for Challah when there were none left! My mother would take her Challah out of her bag to give the man. So many customers counted on this treatment, knowing they'd have what they needed, even if they arrived after closing and even if there were no Challahs left to be be had!

The fact that this story was told as a means of teaching a POSITIVE lesson really disturbed me.

(9)
Daniela,
April 7, 2008 8:50 AM

Wait a minute...

If this man was running late for Shabbos that he had to shove his way into a store, how much later was he making the store employees for Shabbos ?? Would he in his haste even think about this, or did he just assume everyone else was non-frum ?

(8)
Avraham,
April 7, 2008 12:10 AM

thank you for that inspiring article

Baruch H*Shem!!

i only hope that my desire to make aliyah is strong enough so that the Almighty will help me get it done.

(7)
ruth housman,
April 6, 2008 3:51 PM

the door "is a jar"

We used to have a car with one of those automated voices. For safety, whenever any of the doors wasn't closed properly, the voice would intone: the door is ajar. We joked, the door is not a "jar". It's like the GPS saying: your destination is ahead. And we would split the word and laugh. For me the notion of jar, as someone who is working with ceramics and also someone who is a student of Jewish mysticism, well Jar is for VESSEL and we are all of us, in a deep, metaphoric sense, vessels. So I am thinking, if the door is a... jar... then certainly, if you have the passion, go through it. Life is about give and take, to pour and to receive, as in libations. I LOVE this little story which ends happily for all. If it's about passion and LOVE, and if nobody's being hurt in the process, then forge right through because to forge is to solder and something is being healed or mended in the process. I think these folks, so impatient to go home, had a little lesson in life. I mean, how hard would it have been for them to back down, just a little bissel, for LOVE?

(6)
Shaina Dina,
April 6, 2008 3:09 PM

This story was not about spirituality-it was about chilul H-shem

Sorry, but I really didn't get "anything" from this story. I feel ashamed that the man in the story attained his needs at the expense of others. What kind of example of religious yidden is that for the Russian cashier, who probably grew up anti-religious and might just have felt it was another incident to prove her prejudice. And what about the guard-was he impressed by another religious Jew pushing his way in at the expense of other people's needs to prepare for the Holy Shabbos?

True, kosher desire is to serve H-shem through kidush H-shem and not chilul H-shem.

(5)
Anonymous,
April 6, 2008 2:47 PM

why was the door still ajar?

If the guard and store staff were so adamant to be "sagur", we would have more realistically seen that after this little bald man slipped in, the guard would have most likely (in the reality of our world) shut the door so the man couldn't get out with the groceries. The guard probably would have accosted the little bald man and thrown him out physically. The "sagur" certainly wasn't followed up by real action; all we hear is the tone of the guard saying "sagur" in "rapidly fired Hebrew" and we see the folded arms of the cashier...why didn't they follow up with enforcing their words? They weren't dumbstruck. They are Jews, remember? Please don't try and fool us with silly parables that don't meet with reality.

(4)
Anonymous,
April 6, 2008 1:16 PM

As an English person living in Israel this is the sort of person I really cannot abide. I hope he paid well over the odds. A better example could have been found for desire.

(3)
Silky,
April 6, 2008 12:49 PM

This is a terrible example

While I understand what the author is trying to bring out, I sit on the other side of this example. My husband is in the kosher food business and I can't count the amount of times he has come home practically while I was lighting candles because of people like THIS! This story makes my bood boil. While the author makes great efford to say that this is wrong, he is still using it as a possitive thing. The only thing I see from this is someone who tests our ability to still act as good Jews should in the face of someone who deffinatally sinned while thinking they were doing a mitzvah.

(2)
Rosen,
April 6, 2008 11:03 AM

desires, choices, and circumstances

The choices and desires we want out of life depend on the circumstances of whether we really need or want out of something. Of course, with every choice or desire comes consequences thereafter, either good or bad. Ultimately, it's not a matter of what we want or need, but why we want these desires and needs. "Why?" is the most important universal question of all.

(1)
Jack Goldfarb,
April 6, 2008 10:10 AM

Should We Always Get Our Own Way

This story can have two messages: the moral that persistence backed by desirewins out. Or - what about the lesson that we can learn from "losing out?" So that next time we can be more punctual and respectful of others -- don't the employees want to get home on time for Shabbat as well?

My nephew is having his bar mitzvah and I am thinking of a gift. In the old days, the gift of choice was a fountain pen, then a Walkman, and today an iPod. But I want to get him something special. What do you suggest?

The Aish Rabbi Replies:

Since this event celebrates the young person becoming obligated in the commandments, the most appropriate gift is, naturally, one that gives a deeper understanding of the Jewish heritage and enables one to better perform the mitzvot! (An iPod, s/he can get anytime.)

With that in mind, my favorite gift idea is a tzedakah (charity) box. Every Jew should have a tzedakah box in his home, so he can drop in change on a regular basis. The money can then be given to support a Jewish school or institution -- in your home town or in Israel (every Jews’ “home town”). There are beautiful tzedakah boxes made of wood and silver, and you can see a selection here.

For boys, a really beautiful gift is a pair of tefillin, the black leather boxes which contain parchments of Torah verses, worn on the bicep and the head. Owning a pair of Tefillin (and wearing them!) is an important part of Jewish identity. But since they are expensive (about $400), not every Bar Mitzvah boy has a pair. To make sure you get kosher Tefillin, see here.

In 1944, the Nazis perpetrated the Children's Action in the Kovno Ghetto. That day and the next, German soldiers conducted house-to-house searches to round up all children under age 12 (and adults over 55) -- and sent them to their deaths at Fort IX. Eventually, the Germans blew up every house with grenades and dynamite, on suspicion that Jews might be in hiding in underground bunkers. They then poured gasoline over much of the former ghetto and incinerated it. Of the 37,000 Jews in Kovno before the Holocaust, less than 10 percent survived. One of the survivors was Rabbi Ephraim Oshri, who later published a stirring collection of rabbinical responsa, detailing his life-and-death decisions during the Holocaust. Also on this date, in 1937, American Jews held a massive anti-Nazi rally in New York City's Madison Square Garden.

In a letter to someone who found it difficult to study Torah, the 20th century sage the Chazon Ish wrote:

"Some people find it hard to be diligent in their Torah studies. But the difficulty persists only for a short while - if the person sincerely resolves to submerge himself in his studies. Very quickly the feelings of difficulty will go away and he will find that there is no worldly pleasure that can compare with the pleasure of studying Torah diligently."

Although actions generally have much greater impact than thoughts, thoughts may have a more serious effect in several areas.

The distance that our hands can reach is quite limited. The ears can hear from a much greater distance, and the reach of the eye is much farther yet. Thought, however, is virtually limitless in its reach. We can think of objects millions of light years away, and so we have a much greater selection of improper thoughts than of improper actions.

Thought also lacks the restraints that can deter actions. One may refrain from an improper act for fear of punishment or because of social disapproval, but the privacy of thought places it beyond these restraints.

Furthermore, thoughts create attitudes and mindsets. An improper action creates a certain amount of damage, but an improper mindset can create a multitude of improper actions. Finally, an improper mindset can numb our conscience and render us less sensitive to the effects of our actions. We therefore do not feel the guilt that would otherwise come from doing an improper act.

We may not be able to avoid the occurrence of improper impulses, but we should promptly reject them and not permit them to dwell in our mind.

Today I shall...

make special effort to avoid harboring improper thoughts.

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